It was the most powerful amphibious armada of the Pacific War thus far. The task force consisted of 535 ships of the U.S. Fifth Fleet ferrying 127,000 personnel, which included some 70,000 landing troops of the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions ready to storm the beaches, along with the Army’s 27th Infantry Division in reserve; these formations combined made up the Fifth Amphibious Corps.
For two days prior, an ever-growing number of U.S. Navy battleships, cruisers, and destroyers mercilessly shelled the island of Saipan in the Central Pacific, second largest in the 500-mile long Marianas Islands chain. At dawn on June 15, 1944, D-Day, the shore bombardment resumed as the warships leveled their guns and opened up on the beaches and lush green hills beyond, into the presumed Japanese positions, to clear the way for the landing force.
Ship of task force 52 prepare to depart Roi for Saipan,…
